High performance liquid chromatographic studies of erythrocytes haem biosynthetic enzyme activities in alcoholic macrocytosis.
The activities of 5-aminolaevulinate dehydrase (ALA-D), hydroxymethylbilane synthase (HMB-S), uroporphyrinogen III synthase (URO-S) and uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (URO-D) in the erythrocytes of alcoholics were assayed and compared with those in controls and abstaining alcoholics. The HMB-S and URO-S activities in alcoholics were significantly higher than the controls and there were significant correlations between enzyme activities and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Alcoholics abstaining from alcohol over a nine-month period showed a return to normal enzyme activities in parallel with the normalization of their MCV. Abstaining alcoholics thus all had normal HMB-S and URO-S activities. The ALA-D and URO-D activities of alcoholics were not significantly different from controls or from abstaining alcoholics. Alcohol appears to have a selective effect on the haem biosynthetic enzymes in the erythron.
Wright
D J
DJ
Division of Clinical Cell Biology, MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middlesex, UK.
Lim
C K
CK
Peters
T J
TJ
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004798:Enzymes / Q000097:blood*; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006418:Heme / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D011163:Hydroxymethylbilane Synthase / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000623:Porphobilinogen Synthase / Q000097:blood; D014575:Uroporphyrinogen Decarboxylase / Q000097:blood; D014576:Uroporphyrinogen III Synthetase / Q000097:blood
D004798:Enzymes; D006418:Heme; D011163:Hydroxymethylbilane Synthase; D014575:Uroporphyrinogen Decarboxylase; D000623:Porphobilinogen Synthase; D014576:Uroporphyrinogen III Synthetase